Oregon Football Training ‘Warriors’ In Weight Room To Prep For Big Ten

The Oregon Ducks defense is prepared for their inaugural season the Big Ten conference, with much thanks to two Oregon staffers who typically fly under the radar: defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and strength and conditioning coach Wilson Love.

Oct 28, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oregon Ducks head football conditioning coach Wilson Love calls drills before a game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

The Oregon Ducks defense is prepared for their inaugural season the Big Ten conference, with much thanks to two Oregon staffers who typically fly under the radar: defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and strength and conditioning coach Wilson Love. Both Lupoi and Love worked with Oregon coach Dan Lanning at the Alabama Crimson Tide, early in their career. 

“Coach Love is one of the best as they come in the weight room getting us prepared,” Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher told Oregon SI’s Bri Amaranthus. 

The backbone of the Oregon football program, Love leads the way in the weight room with his ability to maximize the Ducks’ gains physically and mentally. 

Oct 28, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oregon Ducks head football conditioning coach Wilson Love calls drills before a game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

“Ultimately it comes down to your mindset too,”  Boettcher told Amaranthus. “You can be the biggest person in the room but if you don't have the right mindset, it doesn't matter. I can definitely attest to that. I think we train warriors in this program. I'm excited (to join the Big Ten) and I think it's going to pay off dividends.”

Oregon coach Dan Lanning hired Love in 2022. Love’s impressive resume includes two seasons as head strength and conditioning coach at Ole Miss, assistant head coach/head strength and conditioning coach at Florida Atlantic and Alabama assistant strength and conditioning coach.

According to Oregon receiver Tez Johnson, Love also brings a fun energy to the team - he can often be found poking fun and joking with Oklahoma transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

With the No. 2 transfer class in college football in Eugene, the Ducks are confident in the physical pieces they’ve added to compete in the notoriously hard-nosed league. 

“If you looked at the Pac-12 last year, we're the most physical team… We definitely got a whole lot more physicality coming in,” Boettcher told Amaranthus.

Michigan State transfer Derrick Harmon and Houston transfer Jamaree Caldwell are incoming weapons for Oregon defensive coordinator Lupoi.

“(Lupoi) cares so much about the defense and all the right things,” Boettcher told Amaranthus. “He comes up with nicknames for everyone.” 

Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi watches over practice with the Ducks Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, in Eugene, Ore. Lupoi / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

Also hired by Oregon in 2022, Lupoi’s experience includes three seasons as defensive line coach in the NFL (Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns.) Before heading to the NFL, Lupoi coached five seasons at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide reach the College Football Playoff every season and the CFP National Championship Game four times.

Lupoi’s nickname for Boettcher, the two-sport Oregon athlete? Brock Lesnar, the WWE superstar, because Boettcher reminds Lupoi of a meathead, who isn’t afraid to hit hard and punch the ball out. 

“We want to play championship-level defense on a consistent basis, and Coach Lupoi is one of the very best defensive minds in the country,” Lanning said. “I had the opportunity to work first-hand with Coach Lupoi at Alabama, where his tireless work ethic and coaching acumen set him apart as one of the game's elite coaches while coordinating one of the top defenses in the nation.”

Lanning, Lupoi and Love are cooking up a nightmare for opposing Big Ten conference offenses, like the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines, in the weight room and in mindset.